Adolph Sutro was a unique millionaire. A German Jewish immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1850, he amassed his fortune in Virginia City, Nevada, at the Comstock Lode — not directly via mining but thanks to his engineering brilliance. The Comstock silver mines were deep and prone to flooding, and they trapped noxious gasses, all factors detrimental to unearthing the valuable ore.
Sutro invented a solution: a nearly 4-mile-long drainage tunnel to clear water and fumes from the mine shaft. He charged mining companies a fee to utilize this game-changing creation and eventually sold his stake in it, making millions.
He came to San Francisco with the money. Instead of hoarding his wealth, Sutro built beautiful buildings and facilities, which he opened up to the public.
Though he’s best known for his eponymous baths and perhaps resurrecting the Cliff House, Sutro offered another gift to San Francisco residents: sprawling, manicured gardens just steps away from his long-gone Sutro Heights mansion.
Sutro Heights
In 1881, when the baths were a distant dream, Sutro purchased 22 acres of land at the westernmost edge of San Francisco for $15,000, about $500,000 today. Over the years, he built a conservatory, an observatory and a water tower, and he established expansive gardens dotted with statues on the grounds. He also customized a home for himself and his family…